An interesting route through the sculptures of the ferreiros (iron workers) of Los Oscos

There was once a land in Asturias - Los Oscos - where iron craftsmanship was the modus vivendi of its peaceful inhabitants. Those who have a memory of history say that in 1975 there were 104 forges in Santalla alone, which gives an idea of the vitality and strength of the iron craft in the area at that time.

The historical evolution meant that little by little the forges were closing down, but the passing of time did not erase the spirit of those forgers of Santalla. On the contrary, in the first decades of the 21st century, this small, charming and remote village in the west of Asturias became a beautiful open-air iron art gallery. Santalla is the town in Asturias with the highest density of iron sculptures in the whole Principality.

The story of the revitalisation of the activity of the ironworkers of Santalla is endearing and romantic, because each piece of sculpture that is placed in the village has a rich intrahistory, worthy of being known and appreciated.

A walk through Santalla is not only an artistic and scenic delight, but the meaning of each sculpture gives an idea of the culture, lifestyle and characters that have been weaving life and customs in this corner of western Asturias.

Sculptures and other wrought iron pieces, up to a total of 9 for the moment, that since the first years of this 21st century have been gradually increasing a unique open-air iron museum, on the occasion of the ironworkers' meetings and other notable events in the life of Los Oscos.

So we invite you to a route through the sculptures of the ironworkers of Los Oscos!

It was 2007 and a team of 14 blacksmiths and blacksmiths decided to make a tribute to the ironworkers of Santalla de Oscos, due to the great historical link of this village with the world of iron.

The work, made of wrought iron and slate, is entitled El Espíritu del ferreiro (The Spirit of the ferreiro), was made in Mazonovo, and is a design by José Ortiz. A curiosity is that the piece, on one side of the stock, has carved the wedges with which the traditional "navalleiros" used to mark their pieces.

The location of this sculpture has its charm and significance, given that it is right in front of one of Santalla's most famous bar-shops, La Palma, also known as Casa Pérez.

The year 2010 arrives and Santalla hosts the VI Encounter of Ferreiros. More than 80 participants, coming from all over Spain and some foreign countries such as France, Germany, Holland and Austria, gather and forge a sculpture in homage to José Naveiras Escanlar, popularly known as "Pepe el Ferreiro", in recognition of his work in defence of traditional culture and the recovery of the rural and ethnographic memory of the Asturias of yesteryear. A lifetime of research work that would inspire Pepe el Ferreiro to create the Ethnographic Museum of Grandas de Salime.

This work, designed by José Ortíz, is entitled Guerrero astur (Asturian Warrior), and the work to make it was coordinated by Miquel Xirau.

An endearing anecdote is that Pepe el Ferreiro donated it to Santalla, and today it can be seen in the Sargadelos square, in front of the town's town hall, as a reminder of the life and work of this great character.

The years go by and in 2013, Santalla is once again the place where the VII Ferreiros Meeting is held. On this occasion, more than 50 participants gather in this event, eminently creative and supportive.

Then, again under the direction of José Ortiz, a piece entitled Clavo (nail) was made, which became a tribute to Avelino Navia Osorio, the last traditional ironmonger and farrier of the council. A nail was chosen because these pieces were already being made in these lands since the 16th century, but it was in the 18th and 19th centuries when their production was elevated to the rank of a craft industry, becoming the activity that generated most labour in Los Oscos.

This nail is made of iron, Corten steel plate and slate, and can be found at the roundabout at the entrance to Santalla, which will give you an idea that you are in the land of ironmongers.

In 2015, Santalla is once again the venue for the VIII Encuentro de Ferreiros, attended by 60 participants from Spain, France and Austria. At this event, they were commissioned by the mayor at the time, Antonio Riveras, to make several pieces for the town hall and its surroundings: the entrance railing, the balcony railing, and a sign that reads "Ayuntamiento" (Town Hall) and is located on the front of the building. The raw materials used were forged stainless steel, iron and granite.

Both the balcony railing and the sign are made of forged stainless steel. And among the plant decorations on the balcony, you will find a vine, which represents the joy and enjoyment of life, and on the right-hand side, a liver plant as a symbol of passion and good humour. Virtues and attitudes all of which are very necessary for humans, and which the ferreiros of that meeting also wished for the rulers of Santalla.

As always, the design was by José Ortiz.

And thanks to these works, today the Santalla Town Hall contains artistic elements of great beauty, which are rooted in the tradition of the ferreiro trade. So it will be essential for you to come and see it.

2016 was a very special year for Los Oscos, because Santa Eulalia, San Martín and Villanueva received a unique and historic award. They were Exemplary Town of Asturias, the distinction awarded annually by the Princess of Asturias Foundation.

The celebrations followed one after the other and Los Oscos made the news halfway around the world for having been able to preserve its memory and its tangible and intangible heritage. They were weeks of nerves, excitement and illusions, which were forever imprinted in the hearts of the people and in the landscapes.

And as it could not be otherwise in the capital of iron, Santalla was chosen to have a very special work of art in its promenade-viewpoint: three sculptures designed to mark the appointment of Exemplary Village. Three women for Santalla, three men for Villanueva and three children for San Martín de Oscos. The philosophical thinking of this piece is based on the collaboration between people and villages. For this reason the head of each person is in the hand of his neighbour.

That same year 2016 was a milestone in the solidarity and coexistence between the ferreiros. José Ortiz set himself the goal of consolidating the brotherhood between Alpens, in Catalonia, and Santalla, given that these are the two places that take turns to hold the Ferreiros Meetings.

The project consisted of each town hall receiving a sphere with the same appearance. Both spheres are composed of pentagons and hexagons with Romanesque-style latticework. So these spheres symbolically united both towns, and remained as a symbol of gratitude of the ferreiros for the hospitality and support of the people of the two venues of the Meetings.

Specifically, the Santalla sphere was assembled during the IX Ferreiros Meeting in 2017, joining the pieces created by volunteer ferreiros participating in the project.

When you go to Santalla, you can see it in the Plaza de Sargadelos, and it is especially impressive at night, when it projects its forms with the night lighting.

The IX Encuentro de Ferreiros, held in Santalla in 2017, resulted in the artistic creation of a biker cow. Marela, as the cow is called, was commissioned by another mayor, Marcos Niño, who once again relied on the creative genius of José Ortiz.

So 58 participants from Spain, Italy, France and Austria got down to work, using iron, Corten steel plate, stainless steel, brass and slate.

Marela is an invitation to the many bikers who visit the area to make a stop in Santalla, to enjoy this peaceful place, where they will find beautiful landscapes, friendly people, home-made gastronomy, charming accommodation and all the authenticity of rural life.

This is how Marela was born, a cow that combines the adventurous and explorer spirit of the bikers with the cattle tradition of the area. That's why Marela carries familiar elements of traditional life on her unique motorbike.

The locals say that Marela is a real selfie and social media star, because everyone is fascinated by her. You'll find her just below the town hall square.

A character such as the Marquis of Sargadelos could not be missing in this sculptural journey through his native land. It was precisely in 2019, in the framework of the X Meeting of Ferreiros, and at the request of the Friends of the Marquis of Sargadelos Association, when this work materialised, made with a wide variety of materials such as forged and embossed stainless steel, ceramics, brass and enamelled copper.

The 42 participants in the Encounters worked on a design by José Ortiz, and thus arose this impressive sculptural bust, for the memory and dissemination of a figure such as Antonio Raimundo Ibáñez, born in Santalla and who founded in the 18th century in Sargadelos (Lugo) one of the first cast iron and earthenware factories in Spain. An intense biography and a link with his home town through this sculpture, located in the square that bears his name, and also through the Museo Casa Natal del Marqués de Sargadelos, an initiative that has its headquarters in the house where he was born and which is a focus of attraction for tourists and visitors.

In 2023, Santa Eulalia de Oscos witnessed the XI Ferreiros Meeting, an initiative organised by the Ferreiros de Mazonovo and the City Council, supported by the Association Friends of Raimundo Ibañez, Marqués de Sargadelos, the Leader plan and with the collaboration of the neighbours of Santa Eulalia de Oscos.

This event will remain engraved in the memory of the village due to the emotion that surrounded the creation of a unique piece forged by more than 40 blacksmiths and blacksmiths from Spain and Europe. A sculpture was erected in honour of the Rural Woman, represented with the typical attire of the filandeiras de Santalla, symbolising the female labour of weaving warps, creating life. Known as "Servanda" (the one who serves and protects), the statue is located in the playground of Santalla. The railing that surrounds it is designed as a weave of threads that evoke a fuse and a shuttle, tools of weaving. At its base, there are metal representations of drawings and words written by the children of the school in homage to the women of their families. Designed by Paz Prieto and Olga Buson, this sculpture was acclaimed by the entire community as a heartfelt tribute to all the women who, throughout history, contributed love and life, even if their voices were never heard.

And so contemplating La Servanda will bring your artistic and historical journey through Santalla to an end.

You will havelearnt a little more about the life and importance of the ferreiros, their values, their history and their techniques. You will have met people who have been key to rural memory, ethnographic research and, in short, to the evolution of knowledge. You will have realised the value of a people united in their traditions and their destiny.

And all this through iron art, and in a simple stroll.

Santalla will undoubtedly remain forged in your memory as that corner that, with the spirit of the ironworkers, is shaping and increasing step by step and year by year what is already one of the most striking outdoor sculptural spaces in the Natural Paradise. A space for art, exchange, coexistence, knowledge and wisdom, promoted by the Iron Council, a state association created in Santalla in 2007, which brings together blacksmiths from all over Spain.

Moreover, if you want to know much more about traditional forging in the 21st century, in Los Oscos, a group of active blacksmiths - the Ferreiros de Mazonovo - work to keep their trade and its history alive in a forge workshop with an 18th century hydraulic mallet located in Mazonovo, in Santa Eulalia de Oscos. And even, if you want to buy a piece, the workshop has an online shop.